Jaws breaks down Tyrod Taylor

Not a classic pocket passer such as New England's Tom Brady or Atlanta's Matt Ryan, mind you. But an exceptional, versatile athlete such as Denver's Tim Tebow and Philadelphia's Michael Vick.

Jaworski and the rest of ESPN's NFL Monday Night Football broadcast team is working Monday's Orange Bowl between Tech and Stanford. So Jaworski, a former Eagles quarterback, has watched plenty of Hokies and Cardinal game tapes.

His conclusion: Stanford sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck is the slam-dunk No. 1 choice of the NFL draft whenever he makes himself available, but don't forget about Taylor, a senior whom many project as a mid-round pick at best.

"I was impressed (with Taylor)," Jaworski said Saturday prior to Tech's practice here in balmy south Florida. "I see a very gifted athlete. I see a very good quarterback.

"There’s always this kind of stop sign to quarterbacks who play in the spread or who don’t play the prototypical NFL game. But the last couple of weeks, what I saw in Denver with Tim Tebow and what they did with their offense, how they structured things around (him) was really, really good. (Offensive coordinator) Mike McCoy did a great job of putting plays in that fit the skill set."

"(Coordinator) Marty Morhinweg’s done the same thing in Philadelphia. Put the plays in that play to the strengths of Michael Vick.

"So you look at Tyrod Taylor, someone’s going to have the vision to say, ‘Here’s his skill set and here’s what he can do.’ The guy has a skill set that projects to the NFL. Not as a prototypical, drop back, read coverage, 6-foot-4, Andrew Luck kind of guy. But a guy who, if you design plays the right way, he can be effective."

Hard to argue with "Jaws."

Vick has quarterbacked the Eagles to the NFC East title and was selected as the NFC's Pro Bowl starter, his fourth Pro Bowl honor. He's refined his passing skills while remaining the most dynamic runner to ever play the position.

Meanwhile, Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner from Florida, was effective in his first pro starts. He's bigger, stronger and far slower than Vick, but still far outside the box for traditional NFL offenses.

Yet two weeks ago he went 8-for-16 for 138 yards and a touchdown in a 39-23 loss to Oakland. He did not throw a pick, rushed for 78 yards on eight carries and ran 40 for a touchdown.

Last week, Tebow dashed 6 yards for the winning score in a 24-23 victory over Houston. He also completed 16-of-27 passes for 308 yards with one interception and a 33-yard touchdown to Brandon Lloyd.

With their shared Peninsula and Virginia Tech roots, Vick and Taylor are close friends, and like Vick, Taylor will need a team to strategize around him. That means roll outs to improve his sight lines downfield, designed quarterback runs and misdirection to keep larger defenders at bay.

This isn't likely to happen in Taylor's rookie year, or even his second. He'll have to prove himself to coaches and teammates.

But while the 6-1 Taylor isn't as big as Luck or Tebow or quite as fast as Vick, he throws with accuracy and touch and rarely gets rattled. He's the ACC Player of Year, and if an habitual tape watcher such as Jaworski is impressed, odds are a NFL executive or three is, too.

Comments

Yeah, that wasn't the same QB we saw Monday night. I don't think Tyrod's NFL draft stock is worth too much right now unless you think Stanford's defense is otherworldly...in which case, a Stanford-Auburn or Stanford-Oregon rematch would be a fun idea to entertain.